Table 1.
Representative examples of recent developed colorimetric assays for the determination of antioxidants in food samples.
| Strategy | Nanomaterial | Antioxidants | LOD | Linear Range | Food Matrix | Advantages/Disadvantages | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper based sensor realization (Au reduction on paper) | AuNPs | Catechin, gallic acid, caffeic acid, ascorbic acid, coumaric acid, vanillic acid, ferullic acid, cinammic acid | ˂1.0 µM | 10–1000 µM | Tea, Wine | Portable, easy to use, without specialized equipment, simple, fast, low cost, sensitive, high stability, robust, reproducible, short incubation time (60 min), without sample pretreatment and instrumental detectors | [25] |
| Water-based mild chemical route, (Au reduction, mild condition) | AuNPs | Gallic acid | Not reported | Not reported | Olive oil | Good repeatability, does not require the use of radical compounds and organic solvents, easily adaptable to other detection strategies/Failure to report LOD and linear range, required developed method | [26] |
| Au reduction in fat matrix, DMSO strategic solvent | AuNPs | Gallic acid | 206 µM | 206–1323 µM | Olive oil, Chocolate | Rapid, simple (does not require expensive/complex equipment), no sample extraction requirement, cheap, good selectivity, require a limited amount of sample (30 µL), short incubation time (15 min) and a significant lower solvent consumption/No evaluation of stability, reproducibility | [27] |
| Au reduction at pH 4.6 | AuNPs | Sinapic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, quercetin | 0.012, 0.006, 0.020, 0.091, 0.003 mM | 0.01–0.40 mM | Rapeseed | High sensitivity, good repeatability, short incubation time (20 min)/Failure to report stability | [28] |
| Au (III) reduction (formation of citrate-capped AuNPs) | AuNPs | Gallic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid | 3µM | 10–125 µM | Tea solution and orange juice | Green synthesis, medical applications, simple, effective, reliable and short incubation time (10 min)/Failure to report stability, reproducibility | [29] |
| AuNPs formation at different pH values | AuNPs | Thymol, carvacrol | 0.09 μM (pH 9), 0.02 μM (pH 12) | 100–1000 μM (pH 9), 50–200 μM (pH 12) | Essential oil | Simple, fast, reliable, no need of any extraction procedure before analysis, good reproducibility/Failure to report stability, incubation time | [30] |
| AuNPs formation based on the analyte structure and concentration (Au3+ reduction) | AuNPs | Chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, gallic acid | ≤3.3 μM | 1–25 µM | Apples | Rapid, easy to use, good reproducibility, sensitivity, recoveries/Low stability (6 h) | [31] |
| (AuNPs)-based cupric reducing antioxidant capacity | AuNPs | Gallic acid, rutin, caffeic acid |
0.2 µM | 3.1–90.5 µM | Tea | Reduced reagent consumption, simple, reliable, robust, good stability (1 month), short incubation time (30 min), antioxidant capacity measurement in human serum samples preserved with heparin | [32] |
| Interaction of the antioxidants with the nanoparticles which causes aggregation or morphological changes | AuNPs, AgNPs | Gallic acid, | 4.2, | 6.0 × 10−9–2.0 × 10−5 M, | Tea and lemon juice | Determination of individual and combined antioxidants, reliable, sensitive, selective and short incubation time (4 min)/Not reversible, failure to report stability and reproducibility | [33] |
| caffeic acid, | 13, | 2.0 × 10−8–4.0 × 10−5 M, | |||||
| catechin, | 53, | 6.0 × 10−8–1.0 × 10−5 M, | |||||
| dopamine, | 6.9, | 8.0 × 10−9–1.0 × 10−5 M, | |||||
| citric acid, | 47, | 6.0 × 10−8–6.0 × 10−5 M, | |||||
| butylated hydroxytoluene, | 3.5, | 4.0 × 10−9–2.0 × 10−5 M, | |||||
| ascorbic acid | 43 nM | 6.0 × 10−8–6.0 × 10−6 M | |||||
| Absorption, Formation of Au@Ag NRs by seed-mediated growth | Au nanorods | Gallic acid | 0.0064 µM | 0.01–30 μM | Tea | Simple, reliable, highly sensitive, selective, stable/Failure to report reproducibility, incubation time | [34] |
| AgNPs seed growth (PVA-AgNPs), reduction Ag + to Ag | AgNPs | Gallic acid | 22.1 µM | 25–200 µM | Ginger tea powder | Simple, fast, greener method, stable, easier to use, sensitive, precise, short incubation time (10 min)/Failure to report reproducibility | [37] |
| Ag+1 reduction at room temperature) | AgNPs | Caffeic acid, catechin, catechol, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, ferulic acid, gallic acid, kaempferol, myricetin, quercetin, rutin, Trolox | AgNPs-RT (0.4 µM) and AgNPs-HT (58 μM) |
AgNPs-RT (0.25–125 µM) and AgNPs-HT (20–600 μM) |
Tea | Good reproducibility, simple, sensitive, cost effective, short incubation time (10 min)/Lack of stability | [5] |
| Ag+ reduction | AgNPs | Ascorbic acid, rutin | Not reported | Not reported | Garlic, green tea and turmeric extracts | Good stability/Failure to report LOD, linear range, reproducibility, sensitivity | [38] |
| Ce (IV) reduction, mild condition 60 min) | CeO-NPs | Sinapic acid | 2.75 × 10−3 μM | 1.2–1.7 mM | Rapeseed and its by products | Simple, rapid, low-cost, precise, accurate, sensitive, applied by oil industry laboratories, low incubation time (120 min)/Failure to report stability and reproducibility | [42] |
| Interaction between the polyphenolic analyte and nanoceria in acidic medium | CeO-NPs | Quercetin, | 8.25 × 10−9, | 1.00 × 10−4–7.81 × 10−6 M | Not reported | Sensitive, selective, low-cost, robust, stable, reproducible, and can be combined with other conventional laboratory equipment/ No evaluation food matrix, failure to report incubation time | [17] |
| ascorbic acid, | 6.87 × 10−9, | ||||||
| rutin, | 3.77 × 10−9, | ||||||
| caffeic acid, | 5.21 × 10−9, | ||||||
| naringenin, | 1.20 × 10−8, | ||||||
| gallic acid, | 6.81 × 10−9, | ||||||
| BHT, | 5.54 × 10−8, | ||||||
| ferulic acid, | 5.47 × 10−9, | ||||||
| vitamin E, | 6.68 × 10−9, | ||||||
| catechin, | 5.23 × 10−9, | ||||||
| Trolox | 5.94 × 10−9 M | ||||||
| Paper based, reduction of cerium ion | CeNPs | Epigallocatechin, gallate equivalent, gallic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, ascorbic acid, vanillic acid | 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 6.0, 8.0, 8.0 µM | 0.02–0.10, 0.08–1.00, 0.04–1.00, 0.40–10.00, 0.10–4.00, 0.01–0.08 mM | Tea | Fast, simple, instrument-free, cheap, portable, good stability (50 days), good reproducibility and high recovery/Failure to report incubation time | [11] |
| Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices, PMAA-coated ceria nanoparticles | CeO2NPs | ascorbic acid, quercetin, riboflavin, gallic acid, catechin, caffeic acid, PMAA-coated ceria nanoparticles comparison gallic acid | 0.27, 0.35, 0.27, 0.10, 0.28, 0.20, (μg mL−1), 0.6 μM (0.10 μg mL−1) | 30–150 μM (~5–25 μg mL−1) | Tea | Low-cost, convenient, portable, good stability, sensitive, reproducibility, and reliable method/Failure to report incubation time | [43] |
| Fe(III) reduction, mild condition 50 min | Iron oxide NPs | Sinapic acid, | 0.019, | 0.06–4.80 µM | Rapeseed oil | Simple, low cost, precise, convenient, not require specialized equipment, short incubation time (5–60 min), good stability and special Reagents/Less sensitive, failure to report reproducibility |
[44] |
| caffeic acid, | 0.016, | ||||||
| gallic acid, | 0.024, | ||||||
| ferulic acid, | 0.012, | ||||||
| vanillic acid, | 0.071, | ||||||
| Trolox | 0.047 µM | ||||||
| Immobilizing a chromogenic onto a Nafion cation-exchange membrane oxidant | Fe(III) | Trolox, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, catechin, gallic acid, quercetin, rutin, rosmarinic acid, ascorbic acid, uric acid, α-tocopherol, bilirubin, glutathione, cysteine, homocysteine | 0.26 µM | 2.45–47.39 µM, 0.46–104.8 µM | Fruit juices | Sensitive, small, cheap, rapid, selective, stable, easily convertible to kit format, without sample pretreatment, reliable, robust, precise, without incubation/Failure to report reproducibility | [10] |
| Ferric reducing antioxidant power | AuNPs, AgNPs, Iron oxide NPs | Catechin, protocatechuic acid, gallic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, hydroxybenzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, quercetin, rutin | Not reported | Not reported | Rice wine, zhuyeqing liquor | Not require the use of expensive radical compounds and organic solvents, stable, good reproducibility, short incubation time (60 min)/Lower precision, Failure to report LOD and linear range | [45] |
| Transform MnO2 nanosheets to Mn2+) | MnO2 nanosheets (UV–vis) MnO2 nanosheets | Gallic acid | 0.01 µM, 0.3 µM | 0.1–12 µM, 3–15 µM | Red wine | Easy operation, low cost, rapid detection, high sensitivity, a portable and user-friendly method/Failure to report incubation time and reproducibility | [47] |
| Reaction between MnO2 nanosheets and Tetramethylbenzidine | MnO2 nanosheets | Uric acid, glutathione, ascorbic acid, cysteine, melatonin | 20 µM | Not reported | Fetal bovine serum | Simple, rapid, economical, short incubation time (15 min)/Not determined ultralow antioxidant concentration (such as nM level), Failure to report linear range, sensitivity, stability, reproducibility, no evaluation food matrix | [48] |
| Synthesized MnO2 nanosheets | MnO2 nanosheets | Gallic acid, | 0.1 µM | 0.1–35, | Human serum, plant extracts, fruit juice, and liver tissue extracts | Reliable, accurate, sensitive, selective, robust, cost effective/Failure to report incubation time, stability and reproducibility | [46] |
| Trolox, | 1–180, | ||||||
| quercetin, | 0.1–35, | ||||||
| caffeic acid, | 0.5–100, | ||||||
| hesperidin, | 0.1–50, | ||||||
| α-tocopherol, | 1.0–160, | ||||||
| resveratrol, | 0.5–100, | ||||||
| gluthathione, | 1.0–140, | ||||||
| cysteine, | 1.5–200, | ||||||
| ascorbic acid, | 0.5–160, | ||||||
| uric acid | 0.5–160 µM | ||||||
| Redox reaction between MnOx NPs and the TMB chromophore |
MnO2 NPs | Catechin, | 8.16 × 10−9, | 3.3 × 10−4–6.67 × 10−6 M | Tea and orange juice | Low cost, easy use, rapid response, high precision, repeatability, stable (1 month), high sensitivity, reproducible, short incubation time | [49] |
| quercetin, | 1.23 × 10−9, | ||||||
| ascorbic acid, | 1.60 × 10−9, | ||||||
| caffeic acid, | 5.96 × 10−9, | ||||||
| gallic acid, | 2.49 × 10−9, | ||||||
| rutin, | 5.38 × 10−8, | ||||||
| p-coumaric acid, | 2.61 × 10−8, | ||||||
| chlorogenic acid, | 1.67 × 10−9, | ||||||
| vanilic acid, | 1.71 × 10−7, | ||||||
| ferulic acid, | 2.75 × 10−9, | ||||||
| kaempferol, | 9.94 × 10−9, | ||||||
| α-tocopherol, | 1.56 × 10−8, | ||||||
| glutathione, | 3.63 × 10−9, | ||||||
| L-cysteine | 1.14 × 10−9 M | ||||||
| Solution based | PtNPs | Trolox gallic acid, vanillin, caffeine, theobromine |
17.2 µg g−1 (in methanol), 763.3 µg g−1 (in water) |
Not reported | Tea, herbal infusions | Failure to report stability, sensitivity, selectivity, incubation time | [50] |
| Colorimetric Spots—digital image-based (DIB) based on reacting diazotized amino benzene with phenolic compounds | Sulfanilic acid, sulfanilamide, aniline | 6.5, 5.5, 5.1 mg (gallic acid equivalent) L−1 | 25–400, 20–400, 18–200 mg GAE L−1 | Tea, Fruits | Fast, low cost, versatile, robust, portable, used for in situ-analysis, good reproducibility, stable, short incubation time (60 min), sensitive, selective | [19] | |
| Paper based | Gallic acid | 1 mM | 3–13 mM | Tea, Wine, Fruit juices | Portability, low reagent and sample consumption, inexpensive, simple, rapid/Failure to report stability, selectivity, reproducibility, incubation time | [15] | |
| Bind EBT and lanthanide ions | Lanthanide ions (Eu3+, La3+, and Sm3+) | quinolinic acid, 2,3-pyridine-dicarboxylic acid, tannic acid, tartaric acid, and gallic acid | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Facile, robust, sensitive/Failure to report stability, reproducibility, selectivity, LOD, linear range, food matrix | [51] |
| Cupric-neocuproine immobilized into a polymethacrylate matrix | Cu(II)−Nc | Gallic acid, | Not reported | 0.5–4.0, | Tea | Small, cheap, suitable to fit in a portable instrument for in situ antioxidant analysis, without sample pretreatment, sensitive, selective, short incubation time (45 min)/Failure to report stability, reproducibility, LOD | [52] |
| quercetin, | 0.05–0.8, | ||||||
| ascorbic acid, | 0.4–3.0, | ||||||
| catechin, | 0.3–11.0, | ||||||
| dihydroquercetin, | 0.05–0.8, | ||||||
| tannin, | 0.1–0.8, | ||||||
| luteolin, | 0.05–0.8, | ||||||
| rutin, | 1.0–15.0, | ||||||
| cysteine | 0.5–11.0 mg L−1 | ||||||
| Paper based | Nano-oxides of Al2O3, ZnO, MgO, CeO2, TiO2 and MoO3 |
Caffeic acid, | Not reported | 8.0 × 10−4–1.0 × 10−2 | Tea | Simplicity, low cost, portable, sensitive, good reproducibility/Failure to report stability, incubation time, LOD | [53] |
| rosmarinic acid, | 4.0 × 10−4–1.0 × 10−2 | ||||||
| gallic acid, | 8.0 × 10−4–1.0 × 10−2 | ||||||
| ellagic acid, | 8.0 × 10−4–1.0 × 10−2 | ||||||
| and quercitrin | 8.0 × 10−4–1.0 × 10−2 (moles L−1) | ||||||
| RhNPS LSPR shifting | Rhodium NPs | Catechins, gallates, cinnamates, dihydroxybenzoic acids | 29 µM | 50–500 µM | Teas | High stability, short incubation time, without sample pretreatment, good reproducibility/Not designed for in-field assays | [54] |
| Paper microzone assay | Polyoxometalate-imidazol | Gallic acid catechin | 0.08, 0.15 mM | 0.25–2 mM | Lime fruit | Simple, fast, not require instrument, reliable, robust, reproducible/Low stability (72 h), failure to report incubation time | [55] |
| Immobilization of NaIO4 and MBTH in paper | Not reported | Chlorogenic acids | 0.002 mM | 0.07–0.71 mM | Coffee | Reproducible, good recovery, selective, rapid, easy to operate, low-cost, reliable, good stability (28 days)/Failure to report incubation time | [56] |
| Reactions between 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and metal ions | Ag+, Au3+, and Cr6+ | Lipoic acid, | 4.3, | 0–1000 nM | Serum samples | High sensitivity, high selectivity, high reproducibility, stable, short incubation time (30 min) | [6] |
| cysteine, | 4.74, | ||||||
| tannin, | 4.88, | ||||||
| ascorbic acid, | 4.23, | ||||||
| glutathione, | 2.44, | ||||||
| uric acid, | 7.48, | ||||||
| glycine, | 3.07, | ||||||
| dopamine | 1.97 nM |